A passenger bus name SB Super Delux from Kushtia narrowly escaped a major disaster after falling into the Padma River at Daulotdia Ferry Ghat in Rajbari’s Goalanda, amid alleged negligence in ferry ghat management and loss of control by the driver.
The incident occurred on Friday (June 5) at around 9:30 a.m., when the “SB Super Deluxe” bus lost control while attempting to board a ferry at Ghat No. 7 and crashed through the ramp into the river.
Fortunately, no major casualties were reported.
According to ferry ghat sources, there were no passengers on board at the time of the accident, as all passengers had been asked to disembark before reaching the ferry point. Only the driver and his assistant remained inside the vehicle. Following the incident, locals rescued them and sent them to Goalanda Upazila Health Complex.
Ghat supervisor Barak Sheikh said the bus arrived at Ghat No. 7 around 9:30 a.m. to board a ferry. One side of the ghat was occupied by the large ferry Bir Shreshtha Jahangir, while another medium-sized ferry was stationed on the opposite side. As vehicles were being loaded onto the larger ferry, the bus attempted to board another ferry.
At that moment, due to the driver’s carelessness and uncontrolled speed, the bus suddenly struck the adjacent ramp, breaking it and plunging directly into the Padma River.
A passenger, Kushtia-based poultry trader Harunur Rashid Haru, also known as Askari, said that all passengers had been dropped off before the accident. After that, the driver and his assistant tried to board the ferry with the bus. It was then that the bus tilted to the right and fell into the water.
Following the incident, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Goalanda, Assistant Commissioner (Land), officials from BIWTC, and members of law enforcement agencies rushed to the spot. Fire Service, naval police, BIWTA, and RAB personnel also joined the rescue operation.
Assistant General Manager of BIWTC’s Doulotdia office, Mohammad Salah Uddin, said that no casualties have been reported so far. The rescue vessel Hamza was deployed to recover the submerged bus.
The Upazila administration confirmed that the driver and helper were rescued by locals and taken to hospital. Their condition is stated to be out of danger, and no passenger has been reported missing.
However, locals allege that inadequate control and safety measures at the ferry terminal frequently lead to such accidents. Many blame both driver negligence and weaknesses in ghat management for the recurring incidents.
It is noting that on March 25, a bus from Kushtia fell into the Padma River at the same Doulotdia ghat, killing 26 passengers. Despite that tragedy, safety measures remain insufficient, raising renewed concerns over ferry ghat management.